Irish Living: Time to inspect Wexford

In parts of the sunny southeast, two in three buyers are Dubliners escaping the city, and as transport improves, the rush will speed up more, writes Dara Flynn

Gwendoline Roullier, a Reiki therapist and shamanic healer, may have taken the road less travelled in her career, but her path down the N11 — when she moved from Dublin to Wexford — is a well-beaten one. The county is now the No 1 destination for Dubliners pushed out of the city by house prices. Last year, one in five relocating Dubs was putting down roots in Co Wexford.

“The ratio among buyers is now about two-thirds Dubs, one-third locals,” says Ray Phillips of the Phillips Partnership estate agents, which deals with Gorey and the north Wexford area.

Roullier, who was brought up in Dublin, has lived in the model county for 2½ years. A convert to the rural lifestyle, she helps run the local theatre group, and treats local clients in a studio in Bunclody.

She says she never plans to return to Dublin. Her quality of life has improved “by